


Just An Outing

by TortoiseSoul



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:21:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28939161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TortoiseSoul/pseuds/TortoiseSoul
Summary: Findekano is getting ready for a dat... an outing. Just a nice day spent in the woods with a friend.Set in the universe of "Blessed Hands Will Break Me" by ArvenaPeredhel
Relationships: Fingon | Findekáno/Maedhros | Maitimo
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	Just An Outing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArvenaPeredhel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArvenaPeredhel/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Blessed Hands Will Break Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20244364) by [ArvenaPeredhel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArvenaPeredhel/pseuds/ArvenaPeredhel). 



Findekano Astaldo Nolofinwion stared nervously at his reflection in the mirror, and then let his braids loose with a sigh. “I don’t even know why I am so nervous about this” he muttered to himself.  
Of course, that was a lie. He admitted as much, as he tried once again to tie back his hair in a knot that looked practical and flattering at the same time. This was the fifth attempt. He would be eternally grateful to his past self for choosing the rest of the outfit the night before, or he wouldn’t be ready for his date until the light of Telperion returned...  
“Not a date.” he reminded himself, “Just a… an outing. A nice day spent in the woods with a friend”. He went back fixing his hair, and tried not to let his imagination wander.

The kitchen was thankfully empty as he slipped in and headed for the pantry. There were still a few hours before lunch time, and the absence of guests meant the family was going to have a smaller, more frugal meal. “I’m acting as if I was doing something wrong, and I’m just grabbing some food to eat during the day!” he thought, as he wrapped the leftover pie in a canvas and put it in his bag. But of course, being seen would lead to question, such as where are you going, or worse, with who, and to answer those questions he would have had to lie (“I’m sure my father would be delighted to know we spend time together” Maitimo had joked, but somehow the smile hadn’t quite reached his eyes). He took a second look at the pantry, and decided to grab some of the honey pastries as well. No, he had already felt bad enough looking his _atar _in the eyes and announcing he would be gone for the day for a long ride in the woods, and the sensation Nolofinwe had somehow seen right through him only made him feel more guilty. “Well, what’s done is done!” he thought, as he left the room and headed for the stables.__

__Findekano stopped his horse at the edge of the forest and looked around. The place was deserted. “I’m probably a bit early” he told himself. “He’ll be here soon”. He dismounted and led the horse to the shadow under the trees. There, he sat on a mossy rock and resign himself to waiting. That didn’t last long. In ten minutes, he was up again and walking around restlessly, trying to burn out the excitement and worry in his body. “He said he would be here, he was the one who picked the time...”. He glanced over in the direction of the road. “I can’t really see much from here” he thought. He would need elevation, he would need… he stared at the tree in front of him. Oh well..._ _

__It took him more than a little energy, and a couple of slipping feet, to reach the bigger branches of the beech tree. As he sat astride on the lower one, he wiped some sweat from his brow. “At least the view will be better from here” he thought, as he started slowly crawling away from the trunk. However, his mistake became apparent shortly after. What he had gain in elevation, he had lost in visibility. The road was now covered by the thick foliage in front of him. “Quite an achievement!” he sighed, and climbed back towards the trunk. He had to admit he liked it up there, with the wind rustling through the foliage and blowing gently on his face. Absently, he reached over his shoulder and check the bow and quiver he had fixed there. “I brought them, and I barely know how to use this thing” he thought “but I did tell everyone I was going hunting, after all...”. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horse approaching. He shifted over and peaked down from the canopy.  
Maitimo rode under the tree slowly, as if he was looking for something. He noticed the horse resting there and glanced around, puzzled. He was wearing practical, outdoor clothing in brown and green, but every small detail in them, from the red and gold embroidery of the collar to the painfully detailed etching on the leather parts, spoke of luxury and refinement. The long red hair, that Findekano had always seen in the complicated styles of formal gathering, was held back in a simple braid that run down his back. “And he still look as stunning as...” Findekano thought, before realising why Maitimo was so confused.  
“Hello!” he called cheerfully from the tree-top. The red-hair winced, and then looked up.  
“What are you doing there?” he asked.  
“I was trying to get a better look of the road” Findekano answered, hoping to sound less silly to the other’s ears.  
“What?” asked Maitimo, but the other _ner _was already climbing down and didn’t answer.  
“I’m sorry to be late” he continued “but it took me a while to find the right moment to slip out unobserved...”  
“Don’t worry about that!” said Findekano, mounting on his horse “I had to make up excuses too to cover up who I was meeting with”.  
“What did you say?”.  
“I said I was going hunting”.  
Maitimo looked sceptically at this equipment. “And what were you going to hunt on your own, on horseback, with a bow, in this thick forest?” he asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
“...Rabbits?”  
Maitimo stared at him in silence for a second, then he threw his head back and started laughing.  
Findekano felt his breath catch. Maitimo and he had spend plenty of time laughing together at the parties they had been meeting at, but it was often a quiet chuckle on balconies and stairways, careful not to attract unwanted attention. Here, alone on a path on the edge of the woods, Maitimo laughter was open, and carefree, and the light of Laurelin caught in his impossible red hair, and Finkedano found himself joining in that long, liberating laughter.  
“Grandfather has plenty of hunting falcons” the red-head said, when he managed to catch his breath. “I’m sure I can borrow a couple for the next time.”  
The next time… Findekano couldn’t hold back his grin as he followed Maitimo into the trees._ _ __


End file.
